Cover for receptacles



an- 28, 195 L. D. MAY 2,821,230

COVER FOR RECEPTACLES Filed June 15, 1955 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Unit tes COVER FOR RECEPTACLES Louras D. May, Pilreville, Ky.

Application June 13, 1955, Serial No. 514,897

1 Claim. (Cl. 150-52) My invention relates to receptacle covers, and more particularly relates to improvements in flexible type covers for garbage receptacles, icebox dishes, or other such receptacles.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a flexible receptacle cover made of plastic or cloth or other flexible material, the cover having a depending rim adapted to fit over the mouth of the receptacle, and the cover having elastic tensioning means extending part way around the lower edge of the depending cover rim for the purpose of tensioning the lower periphery of the rim and thereby providing a tight engagement with the receptacle when the cover is secured thereto.

Another object of my invention is to provide a receptacle cover which may be quickly and easily removed from a receptacle or replaced thereon, and which cover when attached to the receptacle will provide a substantially tight seal thereon.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a receptacle cover which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured for sale at a relatively low price in retail stores.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent during the following discussion of the drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a receptacle showing my cover attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of the receptacle cover corresponding to that illustrated in Fig. 1 but showing the cover removed from the receptacle.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section view taken along line 44 of Fig. 3, and showing the manner in which the material of the receptacle cover is gathered by the elastic tensioning means when the cover is removed from the receptacle.

As illustrated in the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 show a receptacle R having a bead B around the mouth thereof. The receptacle forms no part of the present invention and may be of any desired shape and with or without a head around its mouth.

The receptacle cover itself comprises a top portion 1 having a depending rim or flange portion 2. The receptacle cover itself may be made either of a plastic material or of a woven cloth, in the former case it being unnecessary to provide a hem around the lower edge of the rim, and in the latter case it being necessary to turn the cloth back on itself to form a hem to prevent fraying of the edges of the cloth. The particular embodiment shown in the drawing illustrates a cover made of a homongeneous plastic material which requires no hem and which material could be molded so as to assume the general shape illustrated in Fig. 1. Although it is not necessary that the receptacle cover be shaped, it may be advisable if a woven material is used to make the device out of two separate pieces of cloth, one piece being disc-shaped to form the top surface, and the other piece comprising an elongated narrow length of cloth to form the depending rim 2, and the two pieces being sewn ice together around a line 3, Fig. 1, of their mutual intersection. The lower edge of the depending rim 2 should be provided with a reinforcing strap 4, which strap extends around most of the periphery of the depending rim and may be secured thereto, either by stitching, cementing, or, in the case of a thermo-plastic, by welding the reinforcing strap 4 to the depending rim 2.

As stated above, the strap 4 does not extend entirely around the rim 2 but stops short of having its ends meet. The ends 4a of the strap 4 may overlie an elastic strip 5, as best illustrated in Fig. 4, and the ends of the elastic strip 5 may be secured to the ends 4a of the strap 4 by stitching or other convenient means.

By a comparison of the length of the elastic strip 5 in its relaxed position, as shown in Fig. 3, with the length of the elastic strip 5 in its stretched position, as shown in Fig. 1, it should be apparent that when the cover is attached to a receptacle the elastic strip 5 will be under considerable tension and will be stretched to such an extent that the material of the cover top 1 and the rim 2 will be only slightly gathered, or wrinkled. On the other hand, when the cover is removed from the receptacle, the elastic strip 5 will shrink to its relaxed length and will thereby gather the material of the top 1 and the rim 2 to a considerable extent, as may be seen in Figs. 3 and 4.

It should further be apparent that in order to facilitate placing the cover on a receptacle, it is necessary that the diameter of the material of the rim 2 and thus of the material of the top 1 be sufficiently large so that the cover can be easily placed over the mouth of the receptacle R, especially where a receptacle R includes a bead B. Thus, by inspection of Fig. 1 it will be seen that when the cover is placed on the receptacle there will be a slight gathering of the material of the rim 2 and the top 1, which gathering will not be objectionable if the cover is carefully designed to properly fit the receptacle.

In view of the fact that the elastic strip 5 is under considerable tension when the cover is in place on the receptacle, as shown in Fig. 1, it is advisable to add to the cover one or more tabs 6, which tabs should be located near an end 4a of the strap 4 so that when the tab is pulled outwardly away from the receptacle the stretching of the pen'phery of the rim 2 will occur at the elastic strip section 5.

From the above description it should be apparent that my receptacle cover is easily used and is of a practical structure which may be inexpensively manufactured.

I do not limit my invention to the exact structure shown in the drawing, for changes therein may be made within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A cover for a receptacle having an open mouth and having side walls, comprising a top; a continuous flexible rim attached to and depending from said top and of such perimeter as to fit over said side walls at the receptacle mouth; a reinforcing strap attached to the lower periphery of the rim and extending part-way therearound; an elastic tensioning strip joined at its ends to the ends of the strap and short in comparison with the length of the strap, said elastic strip being stretchable to permit expansion of the rim to its fullest periphery, but sufiiciently contractible to gather the rim to a periphery less than that of the receptacle at its mouth; and a tab attached to the rim of the cover adjacent one end of the elastic strip and extending below the rim.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,222,035 Schott Apr. 10, 1917 1,826,593 Azamber Oct. 6, 1931 2,080,108 Brandstein May 11, 1937 2,728,323 Walton et a1 Dec. 27, 1955 

